...love learning and I love sharing my passion for learning with others. I find that any student can succeed when they feel valued by an attentive, enthusiastic, and patient teacher. I am creative and enjoy thinking from several viewpoints, which allows me to engage students of all learning styles. Although I tutor a variety of subjects, I especially love English, Literature, and Shakespeare because those subjects allow me to engage students in discussions where I...
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...pursuing a career as an actor, but am thrilled to continue to flex my intellectual side and share my passion for learning with the next generation. In college, I studied Cognitive Science, not so much as a fallback career, but because I am fascinated by the subject. I succeeded in getting into Northwestern without the aid of any academic tutors or test prep classes. As such, I am confident in my standardized test-taking abilities, and...
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...Philadelphia, I am consistently focused on small group instructional models in my classroom to assist students in their particular area of academic instruction. Tutoring is where there are many different ways to approach and solve a problem, but the most important part is meeting a particular goal. Breaking down the focus skill, whether it be in reading, math, or science is of the utmost importance so my students can become independent learners.
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...at multiple tutoring organizations and while I teach all age groups, I am very passionate about teaching younger children. I enjoy coming up with creative ways to make learning fun for children. This passion stems from teaching my 8 year old sister. I tutor a broad range of subjects but I am especially passionate about math, English and essay writing. As a writer myself, I understand the importance of developing proficient writing skills and I...
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...I foster great tutor/student relationships. I set high expectations for my personal academic achievements and expect the same from my students. I often serve as a role model for my students. My experiences as a National AP Scholar, graduate of Columbia University with a Bachelors in Neuroscience, and my matriculation into a top 20 MD program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai make me a prolific tutor. I hope that I can...
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...to specifically tailor their instruction. I also enjoy empowering students and their parents by utilizing their mutual goals and values as a part of our lessons. Following earning my Masters of Education at Vanderbilt University's Peabody College, I have worked as a certified Special Education teacher for students with learning and behavioral disabilities in 4th-8th grade. I have worked with children in a variety of settings from babysitting and nannying to tutoring in math, reading,...
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...career in California, earning my teaching credential in Secondary Education at California State University, Sacramento. After teaching there for four years, I moved to Charlottesville where my husband was finishing his law degree. I had the great privilege of teaching at Monticello High School for two years and recently moved to the Fairfax area. Working one-on-one with students was always the highlight of my teaching day, which is why I am now focusing more on...
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...English (including reading for both younger and older students, essay prep including college essays, and editing), French of all levels, and test prep including SAT, PSAT, and AP tests in English and French. I believe that individualized teaching is most effective, and work to find methods that work best for each individual student. Some of my most rewarding teaching experiences have been young students learning to read, but also love to see a student who...
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...goal by leading a small group of young professionals in Chicago, which meets to discuss a variety of contemporary issues that are relevant to our lives. Through my presence as a leader, I want to be able to cultivate new meaningful relationships and trustworthy friendships. Prior to becoming a leader, I also participated in this group, and I gained strong takeaway value, which motivated me to pursue the next step in leadership development.... As a teacher,...
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...until moving into my current position as a curriculum designer for an educational organization. In my role as a curriculum designer, I work hard to prepare daily lessons for teachers around the country that lead students to mastery in literacy instruction. My passion in education is to provide students with opportunities so that they can develop future opportunities. Any student has countless possibilities in front of them as long as their education is solid and...
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I specialize in writing but also excel in other areas such as elementary math. I am very personable and enjoy communicating as well as interacting with students to aid in their learning process. I look forward to working with you!... For me, the most important thing is teaching a student to work independently. Far too often, students expect to be given the answer, which will not effectively prepare them for higher-level work.... Get to know a...
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...Austin College. I am a biology major and neuroscience minor. Science has been my passion from a young age. I like tutoring because I sincerely enjoy helping others and being able to impart my knowledge and experience. Along with being strong in my curricular classes, I have experience helping and tutoring younger students in various subjects and test prep. As a patient and encouraging teacher, I am adept at helping others reach their educational goals.
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...Chicago. I attended the Horace Mann School in New York City. I love teaching and working with students because I feel that there is nothing more rewarding than being able to provide the extra push that students might need to be successful. I am passionate about helping students learn and making sure they are having fun doing so. I'm also happy to talk about anything a student might want to talk about, academically, extracurricularly, or...
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I am a retired elementary school teacher. I taught for the past 15 years in grades 3-6. I currently hold a Wisconsin State Teaching Licence for grades 1-6, and have completed a Master's Degree in Education in 2010. I enjoy working one-on-one with children and helping them reach their goals. ... Reading comprehension starts with understanding that reading requires more than just decoding words. It involves making meaning from the text. In order to do this,...
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...bilingual education teacher in the state of Texas. I love learning, imparting knowledge, and bilingualism, and I am eager to assist students with academic goals. Previously, I've taught 3rd grade bilingual courses including English and Spanish literacy and grammar as well as math, science, and social studies. I have also tutored high school and university writing and math. I have extensive writing and editing experience as well as lesson planning, curriculum assessment, and critical evaluation...
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I am passionate about education and the power of one on one instructional time to transform student attitudes and outcomes. I seek to empower students to better understand themselves and succeed in life. My approach to tutoring is based on games and questioning, to bring fun, and thinking together to create effective sessions that improve student self esteem, effectiveness, and ability.... Student engagement is key. When students are engaged and curious, they bring their best thinking...
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...Child and Family Studies and Education. I am currently wrapping up my teaching certification program teaching American History in a Philadelphia public school. I have extensive experience teaching and tutoring English, History and essay writing with elementary, middle and high school students. I strongly believe learning is a collaborative, student directed process and I love helping students acquire long-term learning skills. My favorite part of teaching is watching students gain confidence and pride in their...
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I have a B.S. in Education and Animal Science/Biotechnology with a Master of Education. I have been working with children since I was a downhill ski instructor in Minnesota during high school. I believe in multiple teaching styles because each student learns differently and requires various tools to be successful in the classroom. All students have the potential to be great, and its my job to help them to reach their goals!
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...which I have both participated in and coached most of my life. I walked on to the Harvard varsity team my freshmen year and ended up racing at nationals a couple years later. Athletics were a huge part of my college experience so I know how hard but important balancing academics with athletics can be. This caused me to be very organized and disciplined with my study habits, which is definitely something I try to...
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...school for two years. In addition, I have 4 years of tutoring experience in elementary and middle school math and reading. When working with students, I like to incorporate a variety of teaching methods because each student has an individual learning style. I incorporate games and activities as part of the tutoring session. I believe when learning is fun, the student retains more information. Outside of tutoring, I enjoy cooking for my friends. I also...
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Receive personally tailored ISEE- Lower Level lessons from exceptional tutors in a one-on-one setting. We help you connect with the best tutor for your particular needs while offering flexible scheduling to fit your busy life.
ISEE- Lower Level Tutoring FAQ
The Independent School Entrance Exam (or ISEE) is an accurate and widely accepted assessment available in Lower, Middle, and Upper levels. All forms of the exam include multiple-choice questions and a writing assignment. The number of questions and the amount of time a child has to finish the test varies by level. Varsity Tutors can help you connect with an experienced tutor who can help your child with all areas of the ISEE Lower Level exam.
The ISEE Lower Level is for students who are entering fifth or sixth grade. Your child will have two hours and 20 minutes to complete the exam. The test itself is made up of five different sections, including Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics Achievement, and the essay.
The Verbal Reasoning portion of the exam is broken down into two types of questions: sentence completion and synonyms. Both are designed to test your child's vocabulary knowledge and ability to reason. There are 34 questions in this section of the test, and students have 20 minutes to complete it. Your child's ISEE Lower Level tutor can work with your child to determine if his or her verbal reasoning skills are at or above grade level. If they are not, your child's tutor may use flashcards or word games to improve his or her ability in this area.
The Quantitative Reasoning portion of the exam has 38 questions that students must answer in 35 minutes. The specific mathematical concepts that are tested are designed to determine your child's understanding of math and problem-solving. It does not assess the amount of math he or she has learned, but instead how well he or she is able to think in a mathematical context. To help improve your child's score in this area, your tutor will help him or her with test-taking strategies such as reading questions carefully and identifying exactly what information is being asked for, along with crossing out information that is irrelevant.
The Reading Comprehension and Mathematics Achievement portions of the exam measure your child's ability to correctly answer grade-level appropriate curriculum-based concepts. The Reading Comprehension section has 25 questions, and students are given 25 minutes to answer them. The Mathematics Achievement section has 30 questions, which students have 30 minutes to answer. Your child's tutor can work with him or her to develop reading strategies and proficiency in mathematical operations in preparation for the test.
The final portion of the test is an essay question. Your child will be given a writing prompt that is appropriate for his or her grade level. ISEE does not score this portion of the test; it is sent to the designated school(s) along with the scores for the rest of the exam. Your child's personal tutor can work with him or her to develop writing strategies and the ability to quickly and concisely write responses.
The Varsity Tutors live learning platform enables you to schedule your child's private ISEE Lower Level tutoring session at a time and place that's most convenient for your schedule. Sessions can be held in a virtual environment or in person. Varsity Tutors can help you connect with an expert ISEE Lower Level tutor who is able to work with your child. To get started, contact Varsity Tutors today.
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Recent ISEE- Lower Level Tutoring Session Notes
Today we continued where we left off after skipping our session last week. The student's score on the practice test was great. His only real avenue for improvement is the vocab and essay sections of the test. Today we primarily worked on the essay portion. I decided to work on some prompts together in session. I want to get him to a point where he feels utterly comfortable and actually has fun with the essay. For homework I assigned one essay.
The student has shown how bright he is, so we are working on the best strategies for him to avoid making simple mistakes and how to go from "educated guess" to undoubtedly correct answers. Each section is very solid right now so it is just a case of building on a solid foundation and having him be prepared for anything that might get thrown his way.
Today we worked on sentence completions, synonyms and reading comprehension. The student is doing well practicing these sections of the test and we are continuing to work on learning new vocab words. We also started working on finding percentages of numbers and he is doing very well with this concept.
The student and I spent our time going over some concepts from the quantitative section of the test. He was very strong in his recollection of simplifying fractions. We built on this to go over ratios and proportions, which he picked up very quickly. We also discussed measures of central tendency. He needed a reminder about the formula for mean, but after this, he had no trouble finding mean, median, mode, or range. We finished by looking at some simple algebra problems and went over ways to solve these by substitution or estimation on the actual test. Next time we meet, we'll go into more detail about algebraic word problems and will reintroduce the verbal section.
This was my first session with this student, and I thought it went very well and ended up being even more productive than I had hoped for. Initially, my plan was to simply introduce him to the concepts, format and overall structure of the test so as to open his mind up to what sort of things he was going to be dealing with. After explaining the five sections and essay portion of the test, and what will be expected for each of them, I decided I could go ahead and go through some sample questions from each section with him. It gave him a clear snapshot of what the exam questions will look like, and he was very receptive to the information and took it in very well. We went through each question and I explained the answer and the reasoning behind it in detail so that he could see why the test material is the way that it is, in a sense.
I also had the student write a paragraph or two -- just about what his favorite thing he did over the summer was -- to gauge how he writes and see some of the areas he may need more attention with. I also spent some time asking him what are his strengths and what are his weaknesses to see what he said with regards to that. We discussed how to proceed best and what he would need support in with respect to any subject/ curriculum/ test-taking areas. I look forward to subsequent sessions with this student. He takes in information very well, so next week I feel I can begin assigning more practice work and doing more practice tests.
We went over basic math and algebraic concepts. We went through fractions, decimals, multiplication, addition, and subtraction. I look forward to our next lesson. We will review any homework given and move on to the next portion to assess his skills in the next category.
